Even Though I Knew the End

Even Though I Knew the End is a 2022 urban fantasy novella by Canadian speculative author C. L. Polk. It was first published by Tor Books.

Synopsis

In 1941, Elena "Helen" Brandt is a private detective and augur in Chicago, who agrees to hunt a serial killer even though she knows that she will die in three days when her decade-old deal with the Devil comes due.

Reception

Even Though I Knew the End won the Nebula Award for Best Novella of 2022, and was a finalist for the 2023 World Fantasy Award—Novella, the 2023 Hugo Award for Best Novella, and the 2023 Aurora Award for Best Novelette/Novella. Publishers Weekly commended Polk for their "focus on character development [that] makes every interaction matter [in] a layered exploration of love and power with genuine emotional stakes and a soaring, perfectly bittersweet payoff", and judged that "readers will wish they had more time to explore [the world of the story]". James Nicoll, while conceding that his own expectations in terms of worldbuilding may be unfair, nonetheless faulted Polk for depicting a setting which is identical to 1941 Chicago except for magic historically being real and publicly acknowledged; he also expressed his "pessimis[m] about Helen and [her lover] Edith's long-term prospects, what with their habit of not telling the other about stuff they think might upset their sweetheart", but overall found that "[i]t's well-written and moves fast", concluding that he "liked it a lot".